Queen of Hearts (The Risen King)

by Samantha Warren

  “Oh, miss, I am so sorry!“ she cried as she stepped back and bent over. “I believe I have broken your locket.” She leaned down and picked it up. Her fingers sizzled and hissed and she cried out as she dropped it again. Not only did the iron burn her skin, but the locket was unharmed.

  “No worries,” Aiofe said, smiling at her as she climbed from the tub. “It's pretty sturdy.” She winked at Lilia and placed the locket on the nightstand, out of harm's way, before climbing back in the tub.

  Lilia's first plan was foiled, but she was undeterred. Later, when Aiofe was tucked safely into bed, she sneaked back into the room and dumped the locket into a kerchief. She tucked it away into her pocket and found her way to the kitchen. It was deserted at that time of night and she searched around until she found what she was looking for. The meat mallet was used to pound meat flat, and it would be perfect for pounding the locket flat, too.

  She set the kerchief on a thick table and brought the mallet back. With every ounce of muscle she could muster, she brought the mallet down on the locket. Sparks flew and it skittered across the table, taking the kerchief with it. Lilia dropped the mallet and scrambled over to find the locket. She picked up the kerchief and opened it. The locket was unharmed.

  Frazzled, Lilia cast her eyes about, searching for a weapon that would help her accomplish her goal. She noticed the poker next to the cooling fireplace and an idea came to her. She flew up the stairs and out into the night. Guards watched her go, but none stopped her. She was inside the castle walls and she was the handmaiden to Lady Aiofe. She was free to roam as she wished.

  She reached the blacksmith's shop and found it empty. She grabbed the nearest hammer, threw the locket on the ground, and tried to smash it to bits. She tried three hammers, each of greater size, with no luck. Nothing would touch the locket.

  Full of despair, she picked up the locket and tucked it into her pocket. Back inside the castle, she stole down to the servants' quarters and found Guinevere's room. The guards posted outside were asleep. Very quietly, Lilia knocked on the door. It opened and she crept inside.

  “Is it done?” Guinevere asked as she lounged on her bed.

  “No, my lady. I cannot do it.”

  Guinevere's eyes narrowed. “Why not? Are you scared? Are you weak?”

  Lilia reached into her pocket and pulled out the kerchief. “I tried, my lady. It will not break.” She held out the locket to Guinevere.

  The woman rose from her bed and plucked the cloth from Lilia's hand. She let the locket tumble into her palm. “So simple. This will be easy.” She closed her fingers around the locket and chanted for a few minutes. When she opened her palm, the iron locket had turned to dust. She tipped her hand up and the locket fell to the floor like glitter.

  “Done,” she said to Lilia as her fingers brushed across the girl's cheek. “Now, go to bed. This was just a terrible dream.”

  Lilia nodded and floated out of the room. She made her way to the top floor and sank into her bed. She tried desperately to remember what she had been doing out of bed so late, but her body told her it was time to sleep, and so she did.

  *~*~*

  SEVENTEEN

  *~*~*

  “Do you really believe him?”

  Kane stood just inside the council room door and listened to the conversation taking place outside in the hall.

  “I don't know yet. That's what I'm going to find out.”

  There was silence for a moment, followed by, “Arthur, please be careful. He's not trustworthy. He's a liar and a traitor. He killed his own father.”

  Kane gritted his teeth as Aiofe's harsh whisper ripped through him. He couldn't deny her accusations anymore than he could deny the knot sitting in the pit of his stomach from all the years of pain he had caused her.

  “I know. Zela is in there. She knows him better than anyone.”

  “He fooled her once, too.”

  “He won't again. He's ready to help us.”

  “He should be in the dungeon.”

  “It's not polite to eavesdrop.” The new voice was so close to Kane's shoulder that he jumped.

  “Zee,” he said with a growl. “You startled me.”

  His little sister looked up at him with a smirk that was a signature they both had picked up from their father. “Clearly.” She nodded toward the table. “Let's sit. Leave them alone to their little squabble.”

  Kane's mouth twitched downward. “They're not squabbling. She's worried, and I don't blame her.”

  “Neither do I. But let's sit anyway.”

  Kane followed Zela to the table and sat beside her at one of the empty seats. His head drooped and his eyes remained locked on the wood. He refused to look at anyone around them. He had seen enough dirty looks to last him a lifetime.

  Around them sat the other generals of Faery. Deklen sat directly across from Zela, his glare locked on Kane. Norin and Eden were a few seats to their left, talking in hushed whispers. No one else would be present. It was a top level matter only and they had decided to keep the discussion closed. The queens were settled into their own private chambers, ready to listen in. They had broken the link to the South as soon as confirmation came that it fell.

  Arthur finally entered and shut the door behind him. As he took his seat, he cleared his throat. “Before Kane begins, does anyone else have anything to say?”

  Deklen settled back into his chair and crossed his arms. “Yeah. Why are we going to trust this traitor? He shouldn't even be breathing at this point.”

  “You've made your opinion clear,” Zela spat across the table. “And no one cares. He has important information that we need.”

  “The only thing we need is his head.”

  Arthur's hand slammed down on the table. The boom vibrated through the room and both Deklen and Zela snapped their open mouths shut. “Enough.” Arthur's glare danced between them. “Your petty squabbles aren't going to help today.” He fixed them both with one more stare, then he turned his attention to Kane. “We've all heard it before, but will you relate what happened at Castle Eiri Greine once more, please?”

  Kane pressed his lips together, but he nodded. His stomach danced and he took a deep breath. He had relayed the story of the fall of his home half a dozen times already, and each time, the horror of watching his mother being tortured at the hands of Leanansidhe flooded into him as if it was just happening.

  A light weight appeared on his knee and Zela gave him a supportive squeeze under the table. He tilted his head to the side and gave her a small smile.

  Kane inhaled and raised his head. He pushed his shoulders back and met Deklen's glare head on before turning his attention to Arthur.

  “I was in my room,” he began. “Under guard. Fjorn left as soon as the screams started and I waited there. I waited for her to come.”

  He relayed the way he laid in his room and listened to the screams, how Fjorn eventually came and freed him, and how he managed to escape.

  “And you didn't see Fjorn fall?” Zela prodded him. Hope sat on her brow, as it had the last three times she asked him the same exact question.

  “No, Zee, I didn't, but he was against three of his best guards. As much as I want him to be alive, it's just unrealistic. I'm sorry.”

  She patted his knee again and gave him a tight smile.

  “Thank you, Kane.” Arthur gave him a nod.

  “I do have another question.” Eden spoke up from her spot opposite Arthur.

  “Go ahead.”

  “You may be back with us,” she began as she fixed Kane with her withering stare. “But why join her in the first place? She's about as wicked as they come. Why would you abandon your family, your people? You were set to be king, to rule the South, but you gave it all up. Why? What could cause you to betray your family and your land so thoroughly?”

  Kane's shoulders sagged and he stared at the table again. His hands clenched in his lap and his teeth gritted together. “I was weak and foolish. She first approached me when I was youn
g, very young. I'd had a fight with my father and run away to the woods. We'd always butted heads, he and I.” His voice caught in his throat as he struggled to continue. He cleared it and shook his head. “Anyway, I ran into her many times over the years, and she always knew the right thing to say, the right thing I needed to hear at the time. She played on my weaknesses and my fears.”

  Deklen snorted. “Please. Don't try to pass off all the blame.”

  Kane's lip curled. “I have no intention of passing off the blame. I was weak, and I was a fool. I know that. I let her play me. Even when I knew who she was, what she was capable of, I still followed her. I still believed her lies.”

  “Why?” Zela's voice was the exact opposite of Deklen's. Instead of hard and accusatory, it was soft and sad.

  Kane shook his head, not wanting to look his little sister in the eye. “I don't know. I guess... I guess I wanted something more than I had. Something different.”

  “You had something different. You had Caena.”

  Kane's chest ached as Arthur spoke the name of his dead lover, the mother of his child. “I did.” His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper. “I had everything with her. Her and Aiofe.” The snarl curled up into a smile. “They were my world.”

  The room was silent and even Deklen couldn't find anything to say.

  “When Caena died,” Kane continued, “I lost it all. They thought I killed her.” He turned to look at Zela. “They thought I did it. I didn't. I couldn't. I loved her, Zee. I loved her so much.” His voice cracked and he breathed deeply to stop the tears that threatened to start again.

  “I know you did.” Zela gave him an encouraging smile.

  He cleared his throat and continued. “I ran. I ran and the person I found was Leanansidhe. I thought I had nothing and she offered me everything.”

  “So you killed your father.” Norin spoke this time. When Kane looked up to meet his eyes, he didn't find hate or anger there. He found confusion, the look of someone trying to understand the experiences of someone they could never possibly relate to.

  “I did. I stole into Castle Eiri Greine and I cut off his head. I was in pain, I was hurting, so I wanted everyone else to hurt, too. Leanansidhe wanted my mother instead. She wanted me to kidnap her and bring her to her dungeon. Horrible things happened there. Horrible, awful things that I wish I had never seen. I couldn't do that. Not to my mother. But I ended up hurting her anyway. I had to. At the time, I had to. I didn't know what else to do.”

  Deklen scoffed. “You had to kill your father?”

  Kane shrugged and stared at his hands. “I don't expect you to understand. I can't understand it myself. At the time, I was so lost, so gone, I had no place else to go.”

  “People make foolish decisions when they feel they are trapped, when they feel like there is no way out of the mess they're in.” Eden's voice was soft and when Kane met her eyes, he saw an understanding he didn't see from anyone else.

  He gave her a small nod. “Exactly. I was so far gone, I can't even understand my own thought process at this point.”

  Arthur spoke up. “So what brought you back?”

  Kane turned to look the king in the eyes. “Aiofe,” he said. “When I saw Aiofe at the battle, when I realized she was alive and well, I saw all that I had missed. I saw that I did indeed have everything, and I had given it up. I heard word that Leanansidhe was going to the human world, that she was going after Aiofe and her family, and I couldn't let that happen. I had to stop her.”

  Arthur leaned forward. “If you hadn't been there, Alo and Maureen would be dead. And possibly Aiofe. For that, I thank you.”

  Kane's head hurt as he shook it. “No, don't thank me. I screwed up. I ruined so much of her life I can't possibly hope to make up for it. I don't know how I'll ever get her back.”

  Another lull fell over the room and Kane wondered just what the queens were thinking on the other side of the one-way portal. They could see everything, hear everything, but none of them could participate.

  “For now we have something more important to focus on. We have to free Titania and anyone else we can and take back the South. We can't let it remain in the hands of our greatest enemy.”

  “I say we raze it to the ground. Take out the whole castle.”

  Norin sighed. “Deklen, sometimes the world would be better served if you would just keep your mouth shut.”

  “I concur.” Arthur fixed his glare on Deklen. “Unless you have something useful to add, please keep your thoughts to yourself for the time being.”

  The prince of the North raised his chin and glared at Arthur, but he pressed his lips together and didn't say anything else.

  Zela sat forward on the edge of her chair. “I know all the defenses we have in place, so if they have been left or raised again, I can get around them. Kane knows the way Leanansidhe works, so we can use him to bypass anything she has done.”

  “We will need the whole might of the North, East, and West to take on her army, along with whatever remains of the South. Leanansidhe is much stronger than any of you guessed. Over the years, she experimented with magic and found a way to boost her ability to absorb the strength of others. When she is fully amped up, she is unstoppable.”

  “No one is unstoppable,” Eden said. “She must have a weakness.”

  “She needs a constant flow of new servants. When she sucks out their energy, it does not renew. They are depleted and they don't last very long in her company.”

  “So a siege?”

  Arthur shook his head. “No, we don't have time for that. Titania's life is in the balance and we cannot risk a lengthy, drawn out attack. We must hit them fast and hard and hope to catch her off guard.”

  “And what if she kills Mother while we're attacking?” Kane's heart twisted in his chest. He couldn't bear having his mother's death on his conscience, too.

  “We need a two-pronged attack.” Zela sat forward. “While the main force is attacking the gates, we can sneak in and save the Queen.”

  “I agree. Deklen, you and Norin will lead the attack. Zela and Eden, you will join with me, Kane, and three of my knights. Zela will get us in, and we'll get Titania out.” His eyes fell on Kane. “Can we trust you?”

  Kane met his gaze and put every ounce of his soul into the stare. “With my life.”

  *~*~*

  EIGHTEEN

  *~*~*

  “I can't find my locket anywhere.” Drawers and cabinet doors hung askew all over the royal chamber as Aiofe searched every nook and cranny in the room. “I know I had it last night. I set it right here.” She patted the nightstand beside the bed.

  Lilia stood near the curtain, rifling through a drawer in a small cabinet. “I know, miss. I saw you with it. Remember, I accidentally dropped it on the floor? You definitely had it. I do not know where it could have gone.” The handmaiden pushed the drawer in and turned around. “I did kick up a nest of wood nymphs who had made their home on the mantle. Maybe they stole it?”

  “No,” Aiofe said as she pulled the blankets from the bed for the fourth time. Tears stung her eyes, but she fought against them. “They wouldn't be able to touch it. It's iron. Iron burns faeries. You learned that last night.”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot.” Lilia turned away and found another drawer to rummage through.

  Aiofe's heart beat hard in her chest and her mind raced. She couldn't lose the locket. Not only was it a protection charm, but it was a family heirloom that had been passed down through the generations of hunters for centuries. “Did you take any of my clothes to be washed?”

  Lilia's face brightened. “I did! Just this morning. Shall I run down there and check if the locket is with them?”

  A surge of hope danced through Aiofe's heart. “Yes, please. Go now. Quickly.”

  Lilia nearly ran out of the room, her tiny legs carrying her as fast as she could go.

  “Oh, please,” Aiofe mumbled as she continued her furtive search. “Please let me find it.”

  “Fi
nd what?”

  Aiofe froze with her hand over a vase that she was about to flip over. The voice was familiar, but still new. Her nose wrinkled immediately. She spun and looked her adversary in the eye. “Guinevere.” It wasn't a greeting and the word held all the venom should could manage to shove into it.

  “Aiofe,” the blond woman responded with a snake's smile. “So lovely to see you.”

  “Where is your guard?” Aiofe edged around the bed. Her eyes stayed locked on Guinevere, but her peripheral vision searched for something, any excuse to get away from this wretched woman.

  “Outside the door.” Guinevere pulled out a chair and settled herself into it. “Don't worry, dear. He won't let anyone bother us.”

  Aiofe's eyes narrowed at the intruder. “What do you mean?”

  Guin patted the chair opposite her. “Come, sit. We have so much to discuss. Don't you think it's time we clear the air between us?”

  “No, I'd rather not.”

  Guinevere sat back. “Oh, come now. Don't be so stodgy. Sit. For Arthur's sake.”

  Aiofe wanted to spit at her. She wanted to slap her and call her every vicious thing she could think of. But Guinevere was right. Aiofe gritted her teeth and lowered herself into the chair. Her butt perched on the edge and her fingers twined in her lap. Her jaw worked as she glared at the other woman.

  “See? Now was that so hard?” Guinevere's glowing smile beamed across the small space between them.

  Aiofe's lips turned white and she chewed on the edge of her tongue.

  Guinevere pretended not to notice. She continued to smile at Aiofe and leaned back in the chair. “As I see it, my dear, this can turn out one of two ways. We can either get along, keep Arthur's best interests in mind, and try to come up with a plan. Or we can become mortal enemies and fight for his love to the death.” Guinevere laughed at her own little joke.

  Aiofe's fingers matched her lips. “I kinda like option number two.”

  Guinevere's smile faltered just a bit. “Oh, don't be silly, girl. There's no need for us to fight.”

  She leaned over and placed her hand on Aiofe's knee. A warmth began spreading up Aiofe's leg and she shifted uncomfortably.